Averting My Eyes

I love the America East conference. I can get behind even Vermont's truest foes if it is for the benefit of the conference. I always watch the America East championship, no matter what teams are playing. But there is something about this upcoming Saturday's championship between BU and Ver... I mean, Stony Brook, that I just can't bear to watch.

Stony Brook making the tournament would be a good story: they can overcome all of the injuries and the disappointment of last year to make the tournament as the underdog this year. Hell, BU making the tournament would be a good story for America East -- the team picked to win the conference finally proves people right, finally (yes, that is a potshot). Even this homer can admit that Vermont winning the tournament every year (and that only seems to be the perception, it's certainly not the reality), a la Gonzaga, is not in the best interest of America East. Parity is a good thing, so we are told.

But I took Saturday, March 12th off from work over a month ago in anticipation of seeing UVM play in a rocking Patrick Gym while I get drunk off of life (and alcohol) at 11 am CT. I planned on wearing my foam UVM Catamount paw on one hand, wearing a Magic Hat bottle in the other (there is no Long Trail or Rock Art in Texas), and screaming at the top of my lungs at an unapologetic television. I planned on being perfectly comfortable with tears streaming down my cheeks when Vermont's starters check out of the game with under a minute to go, whether they were headed to the NIT or the Big Dance. I planned on staying up all night Saturday comparing Vermont's resume with other 13-16 seeds, pointlessly convincing myself that Vermont might land a 13 or 14 seed. I planned on being okay with Vermont getting blown out the following Thursday or Friday by the Kansas Jayhawks, or the San Diego State Aztecs, or the Purdue Boilermakers.

I did not plan on watching Stony Brook play Boston University. And I still don't.

NIT: Here We Come

It seems as though the Vermont Catamounts peaked at the wrong time this season. When they put together 10 straight conference wins in January and February, they were one of the hottest teams in the nation. Unfortunately, in the world of mid-majors, NCAA tournament bids are not decided in January of February (see: Why the Conference Tournament System Sucks). They are decided in March. Fortunately, NIT bids are decided in the first two months of the calendar year.

After getting absolutely pummeled by Stony Brook, 69-47, the Cats get their consolation prize of heading to the NIT. It's not the NCAA tournament, but it sure isn't the CBI either (with all due respect to college basketball's newest postseason tournament). Maybe they can even string together a couple of wins in the NIT to make some waves across the country.

That would be unlikely considering how poorly the Cats have played in the last few games, particularly today against Stony Brook (and even more unlikely considering nobody watches or cares about the NIT). Vermont made Stony Brook look like the best team they played all season (aside from maybe BYU). When they cut the game to 34-40 midway through the second half, it felt like it was inevitable that UVM would climb all the way back. Instead, Stony Brook continued to show a great deal of composure, particularly on the defensive end, and was able to build a comfortable lead down the stretch.

There really isn't a lot more to say about the game. The Catamounts got outplayed, plain and simple.

At least we get to see Joey Accaoui, Garrett Kissel, and Evan Fjeld throw the jerseys on for at least one more game. Fjeld dealt with a mysterious but nagging hip injury throughout the game. Hopefully that won't keep him from playing in his last collegiate game(s) in the NIT. I guess Rick Barnes shouldn't be all that worried about getting matched up with Vermont after all.

Worst Half Ever.

After the first half in Hartford, Stony Brook leads Vermont 27-20. And quite frankly, that is the worst half of basketball I've ever seen. The Cats made absolutely no attempt to penetrate into the lane, they were careless with the basketball, and look 100% scared.

6-21 from the field. 6-21. I'm scared.

Fair Warning

As the semifinal game in Hartford tips off, it seems necessary that I share an anecdote about my day today:

I was working at the 24 Diner here in Austin, TX today, minding my own business, when my co-worker came into the kitchen and exclaimed, "Dude, Rick Barnes is here." Rick Barnes, of course, is the head coach of the Texas Longhorns basketball team. He was enjoying a Sunday brunch with his family -- no doubt they were coming straight from church (as if to prove this point, they were talking about God every time I walked by their table. Texas!)

I'm not one to be star struck, but the college hoops world is my Hollywood: I was sweating. Buckets. It didn't take me long to figure out what I was going to say to Mr. Barnes, and I quote:

"Coach, big win last night (at Baylor), but watch out if you get paired with my Vermont Catamounts in the tournament."

He chuckled. It wasn't funny.

Vermont Gets It Done, Moves on to Semis

The Vermont Catamounts will head to the America East Conference Semifinals for the eighth time in the last nine years after beating Binghamton 57-46. Binghamton, the ninth and final seed, did not make things easy for Vermont. With just over 7 minutes remaining in the second half, Vermont led 44-41. Vermont then used a 7-0, driven by seniors Evan Fjeld and Joey Accaoui, to make the game more comfortable for Vermont down the stretch.

Fjeld was able to bounce back from the ankle injury he suffered in the game against Boston University six days before. He was a game-time decision for the Cats, but was able to play and play like his usual self: he finished with 14 points and 8 rebounds in 33 minutes of play. Sophomore Brendan Bald was expected to play, but he was also bouncing back from an ankle injury of his own. He chipped in 9 points and 5 boards despite a poor shooting night, going 4-13 from the field. Bald can definitely be a streaky shooter, so we probably shouldn't read into that too much. He was able to play 30 minutes, and that is what counts. Both of those guys playing at all is a good sign for Vermont heading into tomorrow's semifinal game. Brian Voelkel added 10 points 9 rebounds and 3 asssits, which really shouldn't surprise anyone at this point. Or maybe we should be surprised: he didn't get 10 boards and only had 3 assists.

Vermont will play Stony Brook tomorrow in a game that tips at 5:04 ET. Stony Brook won the morning game against Albany, 67-61, using a season-high 18 points from senior Chris Martin, who averages less than six points a game. Stony Brook must be hungry, having been the top seed in last year's tournament, only to be upset by BU in the semis. It is safe to say they would love to be on the other side of that type of upset this season.

Personally, I love Vermont's chances to host the championship game next Saturday. But you can't look past the Seawolves, and Vermont surely is not.

Vermont Draws Binghamton

BInghamton pounded UMBC 91-65 on Thursday night, meaning the Bearcats move on to play Vermont in the quarterfinals on Saturday. The game should tip off around 2:15 ET in Hartford.

The matchup is slightly scary for the banged-up Cats: they beat Binghamton by 18 on the road earlier in the year, but later in the season, Binghamton played them tight in Burlington before falling 60-51. Brendan Bald is a go for Saturday's game, while Evan Fjeld is a game-time decision. Both players suffered ankle injuries toward the end of last week. Basically, this means that Vermont can't go on cruise control versus BInghamton. They need to show up and play as hard as they have played all year.

Vermont will be hoping that they can defend the perimeter better than UMBC was able to against the Bearcats: Binghamton shot a scorching 17-32 from three-point range. And that's not a typo. Greer Wright had 31 points for Binghamton on 5-10 shooting from distance. Not to be outdone, fellow senior Moussa Camara went 8-14 from deep, totaling 30 points in all. While Bald is probably UVM's best perimeter defender, you wonder how much mobility he will have coming back from the aforementioned ankle injury. Vermont will have to find some way to stymie the hot-hands of Camara and Wright.

If Fjeld is unable to play, freshman Luke Apfeld might step into the starting lineup, or perhaps senior Garrett Kissel. Either way, Vermont is going to need a big night from the big men who are matched up down low with Mahamoud Jabbi. And when you're potentially replacing Evan Fjeld, those are some big shoes to fill.

So it begins, the America East Championship. One game at a time.

Injury Updates

Thanks to the Burlington Free Press sports blog, "On Campus," for giving updates on Fjeld and Bald's ankle injuries. I still can't get over the fact that the official UVM Men's Basketball web page -- a great website in its own right -- somehow failed to mention both of these injuries. A similar thing occurred when Joey Accaoui injured his hand earlier in the year, the website acted as though the injury never happened.

In other news, it's March. Hell yeah.

A little get well-soon gift for Evan and Brendan. The clips you're looking for happen at 1:19 and 1:49. Cheers